Tentzeris Vasileios, Lake Blossom, Cherian Thomas, Milligan James, Sigurdsson Audun
Shropshire Upper Gastrointestinal Unit, Princess Royal Hospital, Telford TF1 6TF, Shropshire, UK.
Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2011 Jan;12(1):32-4. doi: 10.1510/icvts.2010.247213. Epub 2010 Oct 6.
Oesophageal cancer presents as advanced disease; in the majority of patients the symptoms are present for many months prior to diagnosis. Dysphagia has been described as the key to an early diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. This study aims to assess the public perception of the importance of this symptom. Ninety-six patients completed a questionnaire. This evaluated patient understanding of symptoms of dysphagia compared to the finding of a breast lump, haemoptysis, chest pain and loss of weight concerning urgency, probable cause of symptoms and treatment required. Sixty-five patients (71%) would visit their GP within 24 h of finding a breast lump or suffering from haemoptysis (82%) or having chest pain (82%). Forty-seven patients (51%) who experienced dysphagia would seek medical advice after one week and further 18 (19%) after one month (P<0.0001). Only eight patients (10%) associated dysphagia with cancer compared to 53 patients (57%) with the finding of a breast lump (P<0.031). This study concludes that there is poor understanding of the main symptoms of oesophageal cancer. New health campaigns are needed if the cancer is to be detected at an earlier and potentially curable stage.
食管癌通常表现为进展期疾病；大多数患者在诊断前数月就已出现症状。吞咽困难被认为是食管癌早期诊断的关键。本研究旨在评估公众对这一症状重要性的认知。96名患者完成了一份问卷。问卷评估了患者对吞咽困难症状的理解，并与发现乳腺肿块、咯血、胸痛和体重减轻等症状在紧迫性、可能病因及所需治疗方面进行比较。65名患者（71%）在发现乳腺肿块、咯血（82%）或胸痛（82%）后24小时内会去看全科医生。47名经历吞咽困难的患者（51%）会在一周后寻求医疗建议，另有18名患者（19%）在一个月后寻求医疗建议（P<0.0001）。只有8名患者（10%）将吞咽困难与癌症联系起来，而53名发现乳腺肿块的患者（57%）将其与癌症联系起来（P<0.031）。本研究得出结论，公众对食管癌主要症状的认知较差。如果要在更早且可能治愈的阶段发现癌症，就需要开展新的健康宣传活动。
